#44 - Chapter 44 Newcomers gather to test the real and fake Naruto and Hinata

"Alright, Lee. They've already gone far. Even if you're upset about being rejected, there's a limit," Tenten said, patting Rock Lee's shoulder.

"I know, Tenten!"

Rock Lee forced himself to perk up, his eyes blazing, "I will definitely prove myself in front of Sakura!"

"......"

"He's hopeless!"

Tenten facepalmed, looking helpless. She turned her head to look at Neji, and found him staring at the wall that Naruto had just blasted through.

"Neji, are you confident you can deal with that guy?" Tenten asked, walking over.

Neji shook his head, "I don't know. That ninjutsu just now was very fast. I'm not sure if I could dodge it if I was prepared."

"Even you aren't confident?" Tenten's expression turned grave. "Are all the rookies in this class monsters?"

"It seems that way so far, but more than that, I'm curious about this person's true identity. Why is even the number one rookie, Uchiha Sasuke, willing to stand beside him?" Neji muttered.

"Maybe he's a low-profile rookie at the Ninja Academy," Tenten guessed.

"Forget it, we'll know who he is once we're in the exam room."

Neji glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Time is running out. Let's go into the classroom first."

......

Meanwhile,

Naruto and the others had just found Classroom 301 when they saw Kakashi waiting for them at the door.

"Oh? Sakura's here too," Kakashi said, seeming a little surprised. "Then we can officially apply for the Chunin Exams."

"Officially apply? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, looking puzzled.

"Actually, this exam has always been a three-person team from the start. You can only participate if you work together as a team of three," Kakashi said casually.

"But... Kakashi-sensei, didn't you say at first that it was our freedom whether or not to participate in the exam?"

"Ah, I did say that."

"So you lied to us?"

Kakashi turned his head to look out the window. "Yes."

"......"

"Why?"

"Because if I had told you from the start that this exam required a team of three to participate, Naruto and Sasuke would definitely force you to participate. Even if they didn't force you to participate, you would force yourself to participate because of them."

Kakashi said in a low voice, "Although the Chunin Exams require a team of three to participate, it's also everyone's own exam. If you don't have the desire to participate, then it's best not to."

"Because this exam is extremely cruel. If you don't have a firm will to participate, the setbacks you encounter in the later exams may destroy a ninja's entire career!"

Before coming here, Sasuke and Sakura had heard about the cruelty of the Chunin Exams from Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki.

However, those two Chunin were of average strength, and Sasuke and Sakura didn't take it seriously.

Now that these words came from Kakashi's mouth, the two of them suddenly felt heavy.

Kakashi noticed the two's emotions and encouraged them with a smile, "You don't have to worry too much. Although the Chunin Exams are indeed very cruel for many people, I absolutely believe in your abilities!"

"Because you are my most prized subordinates!"

Sasuke and Sakura smiled immediately after receiving Kakashi's encouragement, and the nervousness they felt earlier disappeared.

However, Naruto didn't feel anything.

"What most prized subordinates~ That's so cheesy. If there's nothing else, we'll go in first!"

Naruto said, bypassing Kakashi and pushing open the door to Classroom 301.

Kakashi: "......"

Sasuke: "......"

Sakura: "......"

Sakura and Sasuke were quite touched at first, but after Naruto said that, it really did sound a little cheesy!

"Kakashi-sensei, we'll go in first!" Sakura gave Kakashi an awkward smile, then followed Naruto's footsteps.

Sasuke also followed silently, only glancing at Kakashi as he passed, making Kakashi feel a little awkward.

"That guy Naruto..." Kakashi scratched his head, looking at the three's backs, feeling like his children had grown up.

The classroom was already full of people.

When Naruto and the others walked in, they attracted many fierce gazes.

Naruto didn't feel anything about these unfriendly and scrutinizing gazes, but Sakura and Sasuke felt a little nervous.

The words Kakashi used to comfort them earlier seemed to have had no effect at all!

Just then, Ino, who had arrived at the exam venue earlier, jumped on Sasuke from behind!

"Sasuke-kun! You're so slow!"

"I came here early to wait for you because I was thinking about seeing Sasuke-kun!"

Although Sakura also liked Naruto now, she hadn't given up on liking Sasuke.

So when she saw Ino leaning on Sasuke's back and acting spoiled, she couldn't help it anymore.

"Get away from Sasuke, Ino-pig!"

"Oh? Isn't that Sakura? After so long, your forehead is still as wide as ever, Sakura-ugly!"

"What did you say?!?!?"

"Neh neh neh~"

Seeing that the two were about to start fighting, Ino's teammates Shikamaru and Choji walked over.

"I didn't expect you guys to participate in such a troublesome exam, geez."

Shikamaru looked at Sasuke and the others with his hands in his pockets. "Hmm? You are... Naruto?"

"Naruto?"

After Shikamaru's reminder, Ino and Choji realized who the person standing between Sasuke and Sakura was.

"You're Naruto?"

Ino walked up to Naruto and observed him with an incredulous expression. "You're not an impostor for Naruto, are you?"

"Seeing how handsome you are, I advise you not to do this. If the proctor finds out you're cheating, you'll be in trouble!"

"An impostor? Really?" Choji looked at Naruto, feeling like something was off.

Shikamaru also scrutinized Naruto, hoping to see something.

But no matter how he looked at it, those features were Naruto's.

It was just that the temperament and attire were completely different from the Naruto of the past!

Sakura saw that Ino had misunderstood and quickly explained, "He's Naruto, Ino-pig!"

"He's Naruto? Are you kidding me? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Ino looked at Naruto with her arms crossed, still not believing it.

At this moment, the last three members of the rookie squad walked over.

"Finally found you guys, everyone's here!"

Kiba Inuzuka looked at everyone and smiled, "What were you guys talking about? Naruto? Isn't Naruto here?"

Naruto: "......"

"Kiba, isn't Naruto right here?" Hinata looked at Kiba in confusion, then glanced at Naruto cautiously, before quickly retracting her gaze.

'Naruto-kun looks so good now~'